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Global Data Standards

GHX supports industry adoption and use of global data standards. We believe that their expanded use enables greater visibility and collaboration in the healthcare supply chain. Increased standards adoption builds trust among stakeholders, improves efficiencies and leads to better patient care and improved financial performance. The true value of data standardization across healthcare comes not in adopting the standards themselves but in using standards to help synchronize location, organization and product information between trading partners and utilizing more accurate data in business transactions.

We’re here to help

As the world’s largest healthcare exchange, connecting the majority of healthcare providers and suppliers in the U.S., as well as trading partners in Canada and Europe, GHX is uniquely positioned to serve as a strategic partner for global data standards enablement. GHX data management solutions, including Health ConneXionSM and UDI Data Submission Service, focus solely on the needs of the healthcare industry and are helping to accelerate the adoption and use of global data standards for the benefit of our members and the patients they serve.

Standardized Identifiers Help Cut Costs and Reduce Waste

Location and Organization Identification

Do you know who exactly your transacting with?Today, the majority of healthcare trading partners identify each other’s organizations (providers, suppliers, distributors) and functional locations (billing and shipping) in many different ways to meet their own individual needs. Not knowing with whom and where you are transacting business increases costs all around — from the labor required to resolve discrepancies, especially around contract pricing, to missed early-pay discounts and increased days sales outstanding (DSO). The issue is particularly challenging for healthcare providers who must manage different supplier-organizations can also jeopardize patient care when products are unavailable when clinicians need them

Identify the same organizations and locations in the same wayTo help clear up the confusion, the healthcare industry is increasingly turning to global data standards — Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINS) and Global Location Numbers (GLNs) — so that every party within the supply chain identifies the same organizations and locations in the same way. A healthcare provider can assign unique identifiers to each of its bill-to and ship-to locations so that suppliers can use those numbers in place of proprietary account numbers. On the flip side, a healthcare supplier can assign unique identifiers to its own organization so that its provider customers can transmit purchase orders and other transactions to the correct groups and divisions. By uniquely identifying themselves, each other and the locations used in business transactions, healthcare providers and suppliers can cut costs, reduce waste and enhance clinical care.

Join AHRMM’s Learning UDI Community (LUC) Adoption Reference List

Is your organization engaged in an UDI adoption effort? Even if you’re just getting started, join the AHRMM LUC UDI Adoption Reference List to share your experience and expertise. Get started with AHRMM’s 3-minute survey.